Greatest Players - top three stand offs

[Wakefield Ram]

I'll let others go first, but ones who spring to mind include the two Agars Alan and Richard, Francis Maloney, Chris Vasey (yes I know he played centre as well)

[Ramboy]

This is a tough one, Paul Sykes, Paul Delaney,  John Wolford, Alan and Richard Agar, Chris Vasey and Francis Maloney to name just a few,need to think on my final 3.

[the old nine ole]

Yes this is a tough one ..... but for the  older rams fans ... don't forget John Heggarty .... the fastest over 10 yards... his pace off the mark was his greatest asset creating openings for the team ...... although once he had gone 20 yards his legs turned to jelly

[NickD]

57 minutes ago, Ramboy said:

This is a tough one, Paul Sykes, Paul Delaney,  John Wolford, Alan and Richard Agar, Chris Vasey and Francis Maloney to name just a few,need to think on my final 3.

Good checklist that Ramboy.  Like you I need a few moments to decide.  Might add Paul shuttleworth to the mix too.  

[MrBungle]

4 minutes ago, NickD said:

Good checklist that Ramboy.  Like you I need a few moments to decide.  Might add Paul shuttleworth to the mix too.  

When Paul Delaney joined the Club, i could swear that they changed over and Shuttleworth played scrum half, could be dreaming that though. Did Bernard Watson not play stand off for us as was he scrum half? be better just labelling this for halves as i recall many playing both positions.

[NickD]

1 hour ago, MrBungle said:

When Paul Delaney joined the Club, i could swear that they changed over and Shuttleworth played scrum half, could be dreaming that though. Did Bernard Watson not play stand off for us as was he scrum half? be better just labelling this for halves as i recall many playing both positions.

I remember Shutty as a stand off but I could easily be wrong,  Did he play alongside Mark Keyworth or was that Chris Vasey?  Maybe it was both.  I need someone with a better memory to give me a hand....

[Ramboy]

2 minutes ago, NickD said:

I remember Shutty as a stand off but I could easily be wrong,  Did he play alongside Mark Keyworth or was that Chris Vasey?  Maybe it was both.  I need someone with a better memory to give me a hand....

Chris Vasey and Mark Keyworth started out playing 6 and 7, then we signed Paul from Salford who was at that time a stand off. Chris then moved to the centres or even the wing.

When we signed Paul Delaney he played number 6 and Paul S  moved to scrum half.

[NickD]

54 minutes ago, Ramboy said:

Chris Vasey and Mark Keyworth started out playing 6 and 7, then we signed Paul from Salford who was at that time a stand off. Chris then moved to the centres or even the wing.

When we signed Paul Delaney he played number 6 and Paul S  moved to scrum half.

Brilliant.  What it must be to remember things

[graham fisher]

I think this thread should be 3 best halfbacks as we’ve had a few down years who’ve played both.Alan Bates was a good one,hard as nails,I remember him squaring up to big Jim Mills,who else remembers that? Alan Agar, Paul Shuttleworth, Johnny Woolford, Paul Sykes. What about Mark Conway? Signed him from Wakefield I think it was,good player. But if I’d to pick my top would be.

Alan Bates

Johnny Woolford 

Paul Sykes 

Any order.

[Ramboy]

49 minutes ago, NickD said:

Brilliant.  What it must be to remember things

I can't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can remember stuff like that

[DewsburyRams4ever]

1. Paul Delaney

2. Richard Agar

3. Francis Maloney

Others worth mentioning; Paul Sykes, Brett Seymour, Brett Patterson, Danny Brough, Pat Walker, David Mycoe, Robert 'Rocky' Turner,

[Blind side johnny]

Personally I think that scrum half and stand off are entirely separate and deserving of individual consideration. I know that nowadays the positions might be regarded by coaches as interchangeable but in the past, particularly in the times of competetive scrummaging, their requirements were quite different.

Would you have played Harry Royal and Vic Hey the "wrong" way around? (Ask Crownflatter)

[il cattivo]

1 hour ago, Blind side johnny said:

Personally I think that scrum half and stand off are entirely separate and deserving of individual consideration. I know that nowadays the positions might be regarded by coaches as interchangeable but in the past, particularly in the times of competetive scrummaging, their requirements were quite different.

Would you have played Harry Royal and Vic Hey the "wrong" way around? (Ask Crownflatter)

they wor fifteen ov us livin in't shoebox in't middle o't road......

[Reverend Ram]

My three: Alan Agar

Richard Agar

Johnny Woolford

remember Shutty as a scrum half at his best for me; Paul Sykes is past his prime but can still orchestrate a game well. 

[Wakefield Ram]

1. Alan Agar

2. Richard Agar

3. Paul Delaney

Johnny Wolford was a great passer but he was a bit shy on defence.

[Blind side johnny]

52 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

1. Alan Agar

2. Richard Agar

3. Paul Delaney

Johnny Wolford was a great passer but he was a bit shy on defence.

Hence BSJ!

[the old nine ole]

John Heggarty

Alan Agar

Alan Edwards

Special mentions for Paul Sykes , Johnny Woolford and Richard Agar

 

[Crown Flatter]

Still considering this one as I prefer to keep the two half back positions separate.

I have another player to throw into the mix:

Australian, Garth Budge. Who remembers him? His usual number 7 was Alvin Newall, who himself played stand off to Acker Bates’ scrum half play.

 

[the old nine ole]

11 minutes ago, Crown Flatter said:

Still considering this one as I prefer to keep the two half back positions separate.

I have another player to throw into the mix:

Australian, Garth Budge. Who remembers him? His usual number 7 was Alvin Newall, who himself played stand off to Acker Bates’ scrum half play.

 

Garth Budge was very under rated ... came from Bradford I think .. very clever and elusive runner ...  yep he should be considered! ....  I don't know how he is .. but know he has not been very well in recent years!

[Wakefield Ram]

10 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Hence BSJ!

Thinking about it, did Blind Side Johnny Wolford start the trend of half backs hiding away from the tackling? Sometimes see half backs dropping out to the wing on defence. Was Johnny Wolford the first to do it?

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Thinking about it, did Blind Side Johnny Wolford start the trend of half backs hiding away from the tackling? Sometimes see half backs dropping out to the wing on defence. Was Johnny Wolford the first to do it?

Probably not the first but one of the best at the art. Certainly this is not something that Paul Sykes could be accused of.

[graham fisher]

12 hours ago, the old nine ole said:

Garth Budge was very under rated ... came from Bradford I think .. very clever and elusive runner ...  yep he should be considered! ....  I don't know how he is .. but know he has not been very well in recent years!

I read something yesterday on one of the rugby league sites that Garth Budge had sadly passed away.

[the old nine ole]

53 minutes ago, graham fisher said:

I read something yesterday on one of the rugby league sites that Garth Budge had sadly passed away.

Yes I knew he hadn't been well ... he had been living in care suffering with dementia.  I see Mick Gledhill has reported it on his twitter and facebook pages ... but haven't seen it officially reported. 

[Hugh Jarce]

20 hours ago, il cattivo said:

they wor fifteen ov us livin in't shoebox in't middle o't road......

You had a shoebox!!!!

Luxury! 

[grumpyoldram]

20 hours ago, Wakefield Ram said:

1. Alan Agar

2. Richard Agar

3. Paul Delaney

Johnny Wolford was a great passer but he was a bit shy on defence.

Rumour has it he used to sit in the dugout until we got the ball back. Here's a poser for those with good memories. I am sure that in the mid eighties, we got a Kiwi stand off from Doncaster called Vincent - anybody remember him, and who were the other players in that team - think we had a decent season that year. Other decent stand off's were Davide Longo, who was a talented lad, and the young French lad Barthau, who I think played both halfback positions.